Death Squads Scared Me Too

FATHER SHAY CULLEN   BIO   |   MORE POSTS

The energetic and outspoken Philippine Commissioner on Human Rights Leila De Lima is a breath of fresh air in a putrid stench-filled atmosphere where the silence of consent by a majority of citizens has allowed the execution of as many as 814 people including 73 children who are hapless innocent victims of the Davao Death Squad. She is conducting a public inquiry into this most atrocious of situation. “What is most alarming, she declared, is the growing culture or mentality of acceptance of the executions…this is worse than apathy and indifference”.

There are brave and courageous people in Davao, defenders of the human rights and children who have protested the killings for many years but they have received warnings and death threats and some of them have been assassinated on the street.

Reportedly, armed men dressed in black, with hand-held radios would pull up at a market place, walk though the stalls, as vendors and customers fled, find the street kids sleeping and shoot them point blank in the head. All one has to do to get someone killed in Davao is to denounce them of drug pushing or any crime. No arrest, charge or trial is necessary. It is “executioners on call” for those with grudges and complaints against others. But the civil and church authorities have been mostly silent about this murder machine that has carried on its bloody killings and murders since 1998. A series of terrible crimes that have gone on unabated and unpunished. Commissioner De Lima is giving hope to the families of victims and those marked for summary execution.

It was October 27, 1999, when I received a legal notice that Mayor De Guzman of Davao city had filed a libel charge against me because of my letter writing appeal to defenders of human rights in several countries. I asked them to join the Preda Foundation’s letter writing campaign to end the killings of street children and other innocent people. Hundreds reportedly responded and Mayor De Guzman was very upset. He claimed in his legal complaint that I had pointed him as being responsible for the Davao Death Squads. In fact, I did no such thing but pointed out that as Mayor, he had the command responsibility to see the citizens were protected and not summarily executed. I soon received warnings and threats myself. My appeal to the Regional Prosecutor to dismiss the charges as unfounded and baseless was denied. I appealed to the Department of Justice but received no answer. It was a scary time when I had to go to Davao to be arraigned in court and perhaps be refused bail, jailed and at risk of assassination myself.

Former Mayor De Guzman claimed that the death squads were operating before he won the elections and replaced then Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. After the reelection of Rodrigo Duterte, a few years later, the summary executions continued unabated until the present. Mayor Duterte has denied any connection to the killings however he has been quoted by media as saying that he wanted to instill fear. “If you are doing an illegal activity in my city, if you are a criminal or part of a syndicate that preys on the innocent people of the city, for as long as I am the mayor, you are a legitimate target of assassination.” For anyone that showed any resistance Duterte also said he would order the police to “shoot you and aim for your head to make sure that you are dead.” Commissioner De Lima told the media that her investigators and researchers had uncovered a pattern of killings. She said that since 1998, the victims had included 185 young adults and 45 minors. “Children are being executed”.

“Nowhere in the world, nowhere in the human race, is the killing of minors acceptable,” De Lima said. Duterte offered to give up control of the Davao police force and resigned from the National Police Commission as charges from the international group Human Rights Watch said he was linked to the Davao Death Squad. Two senators and government officials says legally he cant do that and they stand by him. None of the Mayors de Guzman or Duterte may never be charged in the Philippines but witnesses will be found that can safely testify to the International Criminal Court.

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